Electric switchboard and circuits.



PATENTED MAYl 12, 1903.

No. Iframes# V. C. APPLE.l ELECTRIC SWITCHBCARD AND CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

HOIMODEL.

No. 727,563. I PATENTED MAY 12, 1903.

V. G. APPLE. `ELECTRIC SWITGHBOARD AND CIRCUITS.

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THE NOR? S`PEYERS CO PHO'HIJ LITND. WASHINGTON D C I UNITED STATES Patented May12, 1903.

APATENT OFFICE.

VINCENT G. APPLE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,563, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed August 24,1901. Serial No. 73,200. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT G. APPLE, of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switchboards and Circuits; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in electric switchboards and to the electric circuits thereof and associated therewith which connect various devices thereto.

It has especial reference to electrical switchboards in which the circuits of the various devices are centered, which are used in connection with gas-engines for the purpose of producing an electric spark in the cylinder thereof.

My invention relates to the arrangement of the circuits connecting the various devices and to the general features, details of construction, and combinations of parts, which will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my switchboard. Fig. 2 isa side view of the same. Fig; 3 is a rear elevation ofthe switchboard. Fig. 4t is a diagram showin g the connections ofV the board to the various devices which are designed to be connected thereto. Fig. 5 is asimplified diagram of connections.

In all of the drawings the same letters and numerals indicate similar parts.

My board is especially designed to be used with either a special dynamo or electric-light incandescent circuits, and where both terminals of the sparking device within the cylinder of the gas-engine are insulated the board and all of its connections are free from grounds, which' are so objectionable in electric-light circuits. The use of such devices is often prohibited, in which grounds are necessary, from being placed on electric light or power circuits.

In the drawings, 1 is a plate of marble or other refractory insulating material, having end brackets 2 and 3 Xed thereto by means of suitable screws or bolts.

These brackets are designed to support the switchboard, and through the ends of the brackets screws may be placed for the purpose of securing the same to a vertical Wall. Perforations or hollow bosses 4 and 5 are made to extend from the outwardly-facing sides of each of the brackets at the lower end, into which the core 6, which is composed of a bunch of fine iron wires, is allowed to project for the purpose of supporting the same the ein. The core 6 is provided with insulating spool ends 7 and 8 and is wound with insulated conducting-wire 9. This constitutes the spark-coil. One terminal l0 of the spark-coil is connected to the binding-post 18 of the switchboard, and the other terminal l1 is connected to the binding-post 13 of the switchboard. The terminals 12 and 13 are connected to the circuitopening' sparking device of the engine E. A double-pole single-throw switch S is shown near the center of the switchboard. The terminal 12 is connected, by means of Wire 15, to conducting-post14c ofthe said switch. Binding-posts V16 and 17 are the terminals of the storage batteryB. 18 and 19 are the terminals to which the dynamo G or a branch from an independent circuit may be connected. When a source of current of ahigher electromotive force than that desired is designed to be used and connected to these terminals, a resist-ance R is included in series therewith. This resistance is connected to terminal 19 by Wire 20. Wire 21 connects the remaining terminal of the said resistance to the conducting-post 22 of the switch S. The negativeterminal 17 of the battery B is connected to the post 24 of the switch S by the wire 23.

yThe post 24 of the switch is connected to the post 26 thereof by a wire 25. Wire 27 connects the positive binding-post 18 to the positive binding-post 16 of the battery, or the positive side of the dynamo is connected to the positive side of the battery. The sparking device of the engine E is connected to the binding-posts 12 and 13 by the wiresc and c', and the battery B is connected to the binding-posts 16 and 17 by the wires b and'b'.

It will be noticed from the diagram that the resistance R is always in series with the dynamo G or with any source of electricity connected t0 the binding-posts 18 and 19, and it will also be noticed that the resistance is IOO never in series with the battery B except when the said battery is being charged by the current from the binding-posts 18 and 19. Vhen the battery is being used alone for furnishing current for the sparking device, as when the circuit between the binding-posts 18 and 19 is opened, it will be observed that the current from the battery passes directly through the sparking coils C to the sparking device and back through a circuit direct to the battery. It will also be observed that should the circuit be .opened between the binding-posts 16 and 17 the entire current from the dynamo will pass through the coil C to the contact-points on the engine and thence through the resistance 28, so that the potential difference at the contact-points of the engine in this event is very slightly greater than the potential dierence between the said contact-points when the battery alone or jointly with the dynamo is being used, such increase being due to the cutting out of the storage battery from the circuit. Vhen the switch S is opened, then the circuits containing the dynamo and the battery are both opened thereby. The resistance R, coil C, and contact-points of the engine E are in series with the dynamo, and the battery is connected in shunt with the two latter. Vvhen the electromotive force of the dynamo G exceeds that of the battery B, the current proportional to the difference in the two electromotive forces will flow over the following path: from the binding-post 18, which is the positive of the dynamo G, through the wire 27 to the binding-post 16, through the battery B to the binding-post 17, through the wire 23 to the post 24 of the switch S, through the switch-blade to the post 22; through the wire 21 and the resistance R, through the wire 2O to the binding-terminal 19 or the negative terminal of the dynamo. The other branch of the circuit starting at binding-terminal 18 will be through the wire 10, through the windings 9 of the coil C, through the wire 11 to the terminal 13, through the wire e to the contacts of the gas-engine E, through the said contacts by the wire e to the terminal 12, through the wirey 15 to the post 14 of the switch S, through the blade of the said switch to the post 26, through the wire 25 to the post 24, through the blade to post 22 of the switch, through the wire 21 to the resistance R, through the said resistance by the Wire 2O to the terminal 19 of the dynamo. By this means the dynamo will charge the battery and at the same time produce sufficient current for the spark within the engine. There is a considerable portion of the time when the circuit between the binding-posts 12 and 13 is open, which eect is produced by an auxiliary circuit-opening device operated by the engine which closes the circuit just before the time necessary to make the spark. Vhile this circuit is open the current from the dynamo will all pass through the battery B, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art. By this means the battery is maintained fully charged, so that in the event of any trouble with the dynamo the battery may be in a condition ready to be used for a considerable period of time. The battery is always used at the timethat the engine is being started and before the dynamo has reached its normal speed. The battery will at such times automatically direct its current through the circuit-breaking devices of the engine until the electromotive force of the dynamo, usually due to the speed of the engine, is sufficient to equal that or overcome that of the battery, when the current from the dynamo will charge the battery and afford suflicient current for the sparking device at the same time. There is no time. in the cycle of their operation when the two electromotive forces will be so balanced as to prevent sufficient current from passing into the sparking device of the engine.

I have shown an ordinary socket foran incandescent lamp for containing the resistance R. The resistance may be varied by changing the lamps, or any other suitable resisting medium may be placed in connection with the terminals thereof. When the electromotive force of the battery and that of the dynamo are primarily and approximateiy equal, then the resistance R may be reduced to a very small value or it may be entirely removed and the terminals may be short-circuited, so as to not include any resistance between the post 22 of the switch and the binding-post 19 of the dynamo. In fact, the electromotive force of the dynamo and the battery may be practically the same, and the dynamo will serve to maintain the electromotive force of the battery at its normal value. If the two electromotive forces are practically equal then the time when the circuit is opened at the engine, the generator G is not producing any current and, therefore, is not absorbing any power, and the battery B is not discharging any current and, therefore, it is not becoming exhausted. This result is a very economical arrangement, because it only calls for current during the small space of time when the spark is required to be made between the contacts of the engine, and therefore the power of the engine absorbed by the dynamo is reduced to its lowest possible limit and the current of the battery is only being used at the time when it is absolutely essential.

It is of course evident that instead of an insulating-plate the plate 1 may be made of metal or other conducting material having the terminals properly insulated therefrom by means of suitable insulating-bushings or other insulating-supports, and it is not essential that the brackets 2 and 3 shall be placed on the back of the board, as the coil may be supported upon the front of the board and the brackets may be dispensed IOO IOS

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with entirely. The device as shown in the drawings is, however, the preferred form of construction.

I have stated that the device may be used with gas-engines in which both terminals of the circuit-breaker are insulated, and thereby avoid grounds; but it is evident that it may also be used with equally good results when the circuit is grounded through the engine, especially when a separate small dynamo is employed for producing the electric current.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

l. The combination with aswitchboard, of a primary source of electrical supply, a storage battery, a spark-coil, a circuit-breaker of an explosive-engine, an electrical resistance, terminals upon the board, and circuits connecting the said devices through the terminals, whereby the storage battery, sparkcoil and circuit-breaker are arranged in single series, and are also connected in series parallel with the dynamo and resistance.

2. The combination with a switchboard, of a primary source of elect rical snpply,a storage battery, a spark-coil, a circuit-breaker of an explosive-engine, an electrical resistance, terminals upon the boards, circuits connecting the said devices through the terminals, whereby the storage battery, spark-coil and circuitbreaker are arranged in simple series circuit and are also connected in series-parallel circuit with the dynamo and resistance, and a double-pole switch adapted to break both of said circuits.

3. In a switchboard, of the class described, the combination of a plate of insulating material, supporting-brackets xed to said plate, a spark-coil carried by said board, terminals on said board for an explosive-engine circuitbreaker, and terminals for a source of electric current, or dynamo, one of the terminals of said coil connected to one each of the aforesaid dynamo and battery terminals, the

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remaining coil-terminal connected to one of the circuit-breaker terminals, terminals for an electric resistance, one of said resistanceterminals connected to the remaining dynamo-terminal, and the remaining battery-terminal and resistance-terminal connected together and jointly connected to the remaining circuit-breaker terminal, substantially as set forth. g

4. In a switchboard, of the class described, the combination of a plate, a spark-coil supported thereon, terminals for a source of current, terminals for a resistance, terminals for an engine circuit-breaker, terminals for a spark-coil, conducting-wires connecting said terminals in series, terminals for a battery, conducting-wires connecting said battery-terminals in shunt-circuit to said spark-coil, and circuit-breaker terminals, substantially as set forth.

5. In a switchboard of the class described the combination, of a plate, a source of current, a circuit-breaker for an explosive-engine, terminals for said devices on said plate, a spark-coil, an electric resistance device, adapted to be connected in series with the said source of current, connecting-wires for conductingly joining suitable terminals, and circuit-wires connectingsaid devices and terminals, substantially as set forth.

6. In a switchboard of the class described, a structural unit comprising a plate, a switch, a holder for an incandescent resistance-lamp and a spark-coil, terminal binding-posts on said board for a source of current, a battery, and for an engine sparking device, and suitable connections between said terminals and the devices carried by said board, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT G. APPLE. In presence of- L. M. ARNOLD, G. C. BROWN. 

